ICC offices may open in Ukraine – human rights activist

Oleksandra Matviychuk, chair of the board of the Center for Civil Liberties, candidate for member of the UN Committee Against Torture, said this on the air of the Dom TV channel, Ukrinform reports.

According to Matviychuk, there are now several Ukraine-initiated cases, including over human rights violations in Crimea occupied by Russia.

"Ukraine is currently working in several areas. There are several state cases to be considered by the ECHR. Some of these cases concern human rights violations in Crimea. Ukraine also filed a lawsuit with the UN International Court of Justice over violations of two conventions: on racial, ethnic discrimination and financing of terrorism," the human rights activist stressed.

As noted, the International Criminal Court completed the stage of the preliminary investigation last December, and now its field offices may appear in Ukraine. The offices will deal with detecting, documenting the facts, as well as bringing the perpetrators to justice.

"The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that she would apply to the judges for permission to launch a full-fledged investigation. We can expect that the field offices of the International Criminal Court will open in Ukraine soon, and international investigators will start working: collect evidence, interrogate people, issue arrest warrants," Matviychuk said.

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